Chapter 14 All Better?

Pushing the sleep away from his mind, Ludwig walked to the common room. He felt gloomy, especially as he considered what Kamek had suggested earlier. Did it make sense? He supposed. Was there logic in that particular course of action? Sure. Did Ludwig actually want to do it? Hell no! The mere thought made him sick to his stomach.

So, he took deep breaths. Rising into the air, he flew the rest of the way to the common room. He supposed he should be happy that he was able to fly so smoothly, and that no part of the hallway was suddenly catching fire. But… it was like… whatever, who cares. Ludwig didn't have enough room left in his mind for happiness.

At least, that's what he thought until he got to the common room. His siblings were gathered around the table, chowing down on pizza that came from some of the ten box scattered throughout the room. They laughed while taking bites, interacting in a way that made Ludwig smile. He didn't even know why and how he was able to do that, but… he didn't know. He supposed being around his family was a good way to brighten up his mood. Even if the brightening up in question wasn't nearly as prevalent as it probably could be.

"Hey guys."

The Koopalings all stopped what they were doing, and when they saw their older brother, their faces lit up. "Ludwig!" Lemmy exclaimed. He rushed over and wrapped Ludwig in a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy to see you awake!"

"We all are," said Wendy. She chuckled. "Larry in particular was worried sick."

"Hey!" Larry's face turned red as he put on a pouty face. "I wasn't worried sick! I was… I was just… shut up!"

The Koopalings all laughed before Iggy set his sights on the eldest. The two made direct eye contact, which made the oldest squirm. He tried to avert his gaze, his insides feeling like they were going to explode from the stress.

"Are you feeling better?" Iggy asked.

Ludwig bit his lip. "Yeah. I am."

Iggy smiled. "I am very happy to hear that. And just from what I am observing of you, you certainly appear to be better." He rose from his chair, putting his pizza to the side as he walked over. "After everything that's happened… well, I am just thankful beyond words that none of us were seriously injured."

Ludwig felt a pang. "M… me too." He hung his head, once again not making eye contact with anyone in the room. He once again felt squirmy and uncomfortable, especially as he recalled the last events to occur right before he was knocked out by Kamek. That was… thinking about it now, Ludwig seriously wanted to cry.

"And your nightmares are gone! Right Ludwig?" asked Roy.

Ludwig sniffled. "I believe so."

"That's good." Morton stood up, bringing a box of pizza with him as he walked over to Ludwig. "By the way, since we knew that you were going to wake up today, we ordered a special pizza for you." He opened the box, and Ludwig's face managed to light up when he saw what was inside. "We know how much you like pineapple and ham."

"Oh, I definitely do!" Licking his lips, Ludwig took the box. "Thanks guys."

Larry snorted. "No need to thank us; Hawaiian is so nasty that none of us would've touched it anyway."

"Shut up, Larry!" Iggy snapped. He turned back to Ludwig. "Well… what would you like to do now? Do you want to talk about anything?"

That question made Ludwig seize up. Once again, his mind went back to what Kamek had suggested right after gaining back consciousness. He couldn't do it. He WOULDN'T do it. There was too much at risk if he tried. And besides, he had managed to avoid talking about the incident for eleven years. Why should he start now? Why should he open this can of worms when he was content with keeping said can closed?

"I, uh…" he cleared his throat. "No, I think I'm good." He firmly gripped his pizza box. "After everything that happened, I think I just need time to relax by myself." He paused. "I hope you guys understand."

"We understand perfectly, buddy," Wendy said with a smile. "Do whatever helps you to recover."

Ludwig flashed her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Wen." He started backing up into the doorway. "Well… I'll, uh, see you guys in a little bit."

With his siblings nodding to him, he made his way out of the common room up to his bedroom. The squirmy feeling was still there, but since he wasn't in the presence of anyone else, he at the very least felt more comfortable. Not necessarily comfortable enough to make his squirming insides calm down, but enough so that he didn't feel like he wanted to throw up. And what a good thing that was; if he was going to chow down on this tasty looking pizza, he needed to be as far away from nauseous as possible.

Thankfully, by the time he arrived at his room, he felt good enough to start eating. He floated over to his bed, letting out a breath as he lowered himself onto the mattress. He opened the pizza box and started nibbling on his first slice. Honestly, was there a better food to eat right after waking up from what was essentially a coma? He didn't think so. Pizza was a food that could a smile on anyone's face, even those who were usually neck-deep in depression. As such, he happily ate it. He allowed the delectable combination of salty and tangy to wash over his tongue. He ate through one piece, then two, then three. He was just about to start on his last slice when he heard the creak usually associated with the bedroom door opening. He turned to see who had come in.

"Oh. Hey Lems."

"Hey." Lemmy closed the door, and Ludwig took notice of the way in which his brow was furrowed. "I know you said you wanted time to yourself, but… I couldn't just leave you alone. I… I'm worried about you."

Ludwig covered up the pang in his heart with a smile. "You're very sweet, Lemmy." He looked back down at the pizza box, trying to decide on the best words to speak. "But I'm doing okay. I really am."

"I know. I know you're okay, but… part of me worries that you aren't at one hundred percent yet."

A silence hung in the air, with Ludwig sitting still and Lemmy refusing to look away from him. "Well… it might take a while to TRULY get to one hundred percent, but I can tell you I'm certainly on the right path."

Lemmy paused before nodding. "I suppose I can believe that." He paused again. "And… you know, if there's anything you want to get off your chest about what happened, I'm always available."

Silence, this one so much stronger than the last. Ludwig didn't know what to think about that suggestion, let alone what to say about it. He flashed back to his conversation with Kamek, the imagery he saw within his nightmares. He frowned, fidgeting with the edge of his blanket. His emotions were honestly all over the place, and not in a fun way either.

"Thank you Lemmy, but I don't have anything to talk about." He smiled. "This was just… another trial I had to go through. Everyone goes through hard times at some point in their life, you know."

"I… I do." Lemmy bit his lip. "So… you're all better?"

Ludwig nodded. "I'm getting there."

Finally, Lemmy put on a smile. "Well, that's good." He turned toward the door. "Well, I'll let you be. I got the information I came to get, so I'm satisfied."

"Fantastic." Lemmy left the room, leaving Ludwig alone. He sat in place for a minute before starting his fourth pizza slice. That was such a reductive way to look at this situation, as just another trial. But if it meant he didn't have to reveal his secret… well, maybe it was all for the best.

AN: And... this rewrite is finished! Again! Lol sorry that this last chapter was so short. But hey, what it lacks in length, it makes up for in emotional impact (hopefully).

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this new version. Stay safe and stay awesome :)